Unproven: Exercise Extends Life Span

Impossible to Prove That Exercise Extends Life Span

True - it's impossible to prove that regular exercise guarantees a longer life. We do know that it can make for a healthier, stronger body with enhanced balance.

Even sedentary, morbidly obese individuals can live longer than their highly active, healthy-weight, thin peers. Who can prove that the lazy, morbidly obese person could have lived longer if they would have exercised? No one because we only die once.

Unproven: Thin People Live Longer Than Fat People

We have a slew of celebrities - and perhaps even friends and family members that we can ponder about in regards to longevity and exercise. Take one of my dear aunts. She was a very tiny lady who always had a cigarette in her hand. She popped prescription drugs like there was no tomorrow. She sat so much that at times I was certain that she'd turned into a stone statue. I'd bet that she rarely took over 100 steps per day. She was also within her normal body weight range. When she died, she was well into her 80's.

Imagine that. A couch potato, who smoked several packs of cigarettes per day - yet living quite a long life.

I have another relative - a great aunt who was morbidly obese, yet who lived to the ripe old age of 100.

One of my uncles suffered a horrific heart attack in his 40's. The doctors gave him little chance of survival. After he survived, due to the condition of his heart they told him that he probably wouldn't see old age. Yet, he was in his 80's when he died. He never could give up smoking 100%. He spent most of his life smoking, quitting and returning to smoking again. Yet - even with a bad heart and smoking - he lived quite a long life.

Yet, another aunt of mine died in her 40's due to circulatory issues. She was at her normal body weight.

Length of Life Based Almost 100% on Gene Pool

Why do some individuals live longer when they are fat and at times, embrace nasty habits? Why do some individuals who are at their normal weight die way before their time? The gene pool. It's the top factor for determining how long we'll live, as well as the types of diseases we may get during life. Basically, our state of health.

We can fight certain things to a degree through a healthy lifestyle. If we have heart disease in our family. eating a healthier daily diet and exercising regularly can assist - but again, only to a degree. If diabetes runs in our family genes, maintaining our normal healthy weight may help prevent our body from succumbing.

In Summary

While living a longer life by adding daily exercise cannot be proven - it can assist in strengthening the body, particularly the muscular system. Keep in mind that our heart is one big muscle that acts like a pump in the body. The stronger the heart, the stronger the body.

Exercise can induce unwanted body aches, particularly when one pushes the envelope too far, but on the flip-side, it can also make the body feel at its best. Sweating assists in ridding toxins from the body. That in itself is a big bonus of exercise.

And finally, exercise can assist in burning calories - which means one of two things:

A. If you are at your normal recommended healthy weight, you can enjoy more calories by adding activity to your day - as long as the amount of energy values doesn't exceed the amount used by the body. Exercise alone doesn't guarantee a thin body. Keep in mind that the daily diet is the top governing factor for body weight. While exercise burns energy - one can only burn so much energy per day. And the human body has the ability to intake far more calories than it can possibly use - even through intense activity.

B. If you are overweight, extra activity can assist in weight loss - but only when you consume less food than your body uses OR when you burn more calories than your body requires.